Archived Posts from “online gaming”

12

November

Tackles, headers, brilliant passes and goals. Now you can experience all this in an online flash game.

In webchamps06 you play with your team against a variety of computer-controlled teams.

webchamps06 doesn’t only convert the fascination of football into a clever online game and give us a virtual foretaste of the World Cup atmosphere.

webchamps06 allows ten full eleven a side FIFA teams to play against each other. It doesn’t cost anything to play and you can log on to the game via a link on the kickoffworld website. The game is currently available in English, German, French and Italian versions and there is also an offline version of the virtual game.

The game is played on exactly the same rules as real football. The only exception is the offside rule, which you don’t need to bother about because it doesn’t figure in the game.

08

November

There has been keen rivalry between the two top football ( sawcer!! ) simulators for the platforms. Fifa Football, published by EA Sports and the Pro Evolution series, published by Konami. Both games had their good points…..Fifa had quicker, more arcade-like games, where Pro Evo had better depth and more realistic gameplay. For the last few years I have been firmly in favor of the Pro Evo series, mainly because of the realism of the gameplay. In the Fifa you could score the same type of goals over and over again..your center half could score overhead kicks from the edge of the area . Whilst Fifa undoubtedly had the better presentation, Pro Evo was always the essential purchase.. well no more!!
This year the depth of Fifa 07 is a huge improvement on previous years. There are two huge improvements in the game.
Number one is a hugely improved player-manager mode..whilst this has been in previous releases ( and featured in Pro Evo first ), the new all singing all dancing manager mode is excellent. You get a choice of teams from all four English leagues and at least two divisions from all the other top European leagues. All domestic and European cup competitions are included ( have a Carling cup game in midweek?….send out the reserves!! ). There is also an in-depth scouting and transfer system..plus a youth academy at each team, giving you the chance the mould the next Steven Gerrard.
Number two is the vast improvement in overall gameplay. Gone are the days of simply giving the ball to your quickest player and bashing the sprint button. In this new version the CPU defenders are too clever for that, and even if a trick works once against them the chances of it succeeding the next time are very slim. Scissor-kicking center backs are truly a thing of the past.
The presentation of Fifa’s games has always been top class and that remains the case here, but there has been a big improvement to the camera options available in the game mode, which were always under par. The commentary is also very good, and the same “Great save/goal/tackle/pass Clive!” comments aren’t repeated ad nauseum. The only minus point is that the music in the menus is rubbish…but you can’t have it all!
And so to Pro Evo 6 , the thinking man’s sim. With the gauntlet well and truly thrown down I was interested to see what Konami could come up with. Unfortunately the answer is “not much”. The presentation ( which was never its strong suit ) is absolutely amateurish and the in-game graphics look like a PS1 game. The game play and options are as good ( but the same ) as ever, but given the leap forward taken by Fifa, it seems the Pro Evo team have really taken their eye off the ball ( pardon the pun ). None of the depth added to the EA title is evident in its Konami counterpart. Hopefully they’ll come up with some fresh ideas for the next release, but in the meantime, it looks like for the first time this century EA Sports has the bragging rights in the footie sim market.

Which has the better gameplay? It basically depends what you are looking for. If absolute realism, in unique player movements, and shooting dynamics, pick FIFA. Recognition of players is pretty easy, especially players like Wayne Rooney, as a lot of time was spent with him in a body suit doing footballing stuff like tricks and shots- and it shows. Wayne runs like Wayne (well, if the real Wayne runs, anyway). The graphics are a shade sharper, a shade better as well, with better celebrations to boot. Pick of the celebrations is (I kid you not) Peter Crouch’s unique robot dance- superbly recreated, though possibly a very last minute edition, if the standard of finish is anything to go by.

Also, through balls on PES are pretty poor in comparison, with FIFA’s tending to be better by better players such as Alonso or Gerrard, and better control is shown by those who you would expect- Rooney being a good example.

Shooting is good on both, and with practice goals wouldn’t be too hard- strikes are more manageable on FIFA, long range efforts less likely to hit row Z, an annoying part of PES meaning the perfect strike is far less likely.

One on one multiplayer is as you would expect, with no odd tricks of the trade, but annoyingly if you press start mid game your opponent can use the menu to change his team first- something that can’t be done on Pro Evo. I have only played a four player (2 on 2) on Pro Evo but player switching and interplay was fairly good, and good fun.

Evolution has not been made in swathes on either game, so it seems at first pointless buying the new versions of either, but the revisions are plenty good enough and numerous to keep you entertained on either game.

FIFA team starting line ups offered another weird anomaly- Peter Crouch does not start for Liverpool, and Fowler and Garcia are not even on the bench- annoying, and this is just one example. Also annoying are the ’signing in’ and ‘profile’ sections, and it’s hard to see why these are really necessary, and the oddly complex menus. Making a sub could be much easier, but the menu is either looking at subs or on-pitch players, making substitutions are hard ship not a joy like on Pro Evo.

In short, if you are a person who doesn’t really spend a huge amount of time playing, and just wants to have a bit of fun, FIFA is probably the better pick. But if learning and improvement over long periods of time are your thing, then buy P.E.S.

07

November

The latest Pro Evolution Soccer is still the pinnacle of virtual footy. Touch, feel, movement - PES6 has it in spades.Enhancements include refs who actually allow some physical contact and more player control over shooting and heading. This is especially true of the sublime PS2 version, which packs in a lot more content than the 360 effort.

The Master League is genius (first you have to rack up some points tho if you want to set out Premiership/Serie A/ La Liga or you get jumbled up with anyone) and returns with no big changes tho I haven’t gone through it fully yet. The International Cup comes in a new form which you play qualifying games to qualify for the Worl…er.. I mean International Cup. And the best thing is your not resticted to the set team anymore. If Peter Crouch doesn’t do it for you, you drop his ass and bring in someone who does, or you can give some international call ups to someone at your favoriate club who’d normally never get a look in. If someone impresses you and (provided you qualify of course) you can pick them for your final squad.

Game play wise I feel evo has gone for a Arsenal/Man U approach (funny their the only two licenced Prem teams in the game) to the game in that they want to see you pass it around, open up the opposition with overlapping full back runs, etc… Its is quite difficult to score 30 yard screamers but they do come around. Free kicks also but its getting used to “the old mark on the power bar doesn’t get it in any more” and finding where they have hidden it. Goalkeepers are better but still are pron to make mistakes (but it doesn’t help if you come steaming out with them leaving an open goal). The annimation is better (attackers that go over goalkeepers bring out spetacular rolling on the floor falls) and the good players can run on to a high ball and bring it down (hurrah). But heres my moan, the quick start FK’s was a good idea but I feel not excuted to full effect. Referees were criticised (when aren’t they) in the last game for giving too many free kicks and now at times they don’t give “stone wall” penalties which can be frustrating. Corners I can also moan about cause surely your centre-backs should go up for any set pieces around the box as their the most likely to get their heads on it, But Konami think that Micheal Owen & Rooney will do. What’s up with that!

The Licences are what some people complain about but with Full French, Dutch, Italian, Spainish and then some from all around the world (including some internationals teams) their really is little excuse for people to stick with the FIFA alternative (Yes I did buy and play this year’s, and yes it has got alot better but I brought it back because its just not to the very high standard PES is at).

05

November

In the retro gaming world a lot of people have the ability to play online with other fans of the same old game. Still some games released in the 90s have huge communities that play those retrogames online with emulators and a kaillera addon that make the online game possible.

This is a list of the most important retrogaming sites and forum that have active online tournaments. If you know of any others, please drop a comment to this article

The HairFU SWOS Amiga Online League has twelve active players at the time of writing. It aims to work as a proper league with fixed match schedules. Matches are played with the WinUAE Amiga emulator that supports online play through Kaillera

Dan Bunten’s M.U.L.E. (1983) is the economic game set on immaginay the planet Irata. Four players can play together for the resources of the planet, they also co-operating to guarantee the survival of their colony.

Alongside the usual mix of management and fast-paced field action, the special Live Arcade edition of Sensible World of Soccer will take the game online, offering head-to-head matches, friendlies, tournaments and custom leagues. If you’d rather be a billy-no-mates, Sensible World of Soccer’s offline mode features the classic twenty-season career mode, offering up the chance to play as thousands of different teams. What’s more, the Xbox 360 game includes both hi-def visuals up to 720p and the ability to switch to the original game’s retro graphics.

Nick Pili, Codemasters’ director of casual gaming bellowed, “Sensible World of Soccer for Xbox 360 Live Arcade will enable fans of the original and a new generation of gamers to experience a beautiful game that’s recognised as the classic Sensi title. Making use of Xbox Live for online multiplayer matches will take the SWOS experience to a whole new level of gameplay perfection.”

27

September

A fresh selection of new titles coming toward the 360’s Live Arcade. Doom makes an appearance with added 4 player co-op as well as 5.1 surround and Most important the Amiga version of Sensible World of Soccer!!
The more expansive, management-mode equipped sibling, Sensible World of Soccer will hit the store for XBox live! Sensible Software’s creation ruled the roost for a number of years, back in the industry’s salad days, thanks to a combination of flexibility and utterly compelling gameplay. With Sensible Soccer 2006 for the PS2, Xbox and PC - IP holders Codemasters are apparently again turning their attention to the venerable ‘SWOS’.

A source with insider knowledge apparently told that Codemasters was planning to include the original Amiga version of SWOS as an unlockable extra within the new version of the game, however this plan fell-threw. Issues to do with player and team licensing has been suggested, and this would make sense given the mock-titles used in Sensi 2006. However, the source also reportedly revealed that now Codemasters are considering a revision of the game for the Xbox Live Arcade. Certainly, such a release could well go down a treat, and might introduce a whole new generation of players to the simple joys of footie from a bygone era.

“Live Arcade is a platform we’re evaluating certainly - it’s an exciting area of videogames. There are no announcements to be made at the moment regarding our IP on Live Arcade, Sensible Soccer or otherwise. Ultimately that will come down to demand among games players and we think will work on that platform,” a Codemasters statement responding to this rumour read. Promising? Only time will tell, and much will of course depend on how Sensible Soccer 2006 fairs against the backdrop of fierce, well-established competition. More as we get it.

29

May

Netsoccer is a Multiplayer Online Soccer game. Each gamer controls a player, not a team as is common in most Soccer games. You can join different teams and have matches aginst other teams or you can just have a practice match online. It is particularly popular in Finland and Portugal. As of May 16th,2006 it features 6,000 players and 950 teams.
Each player has their own stats - goals and assists. If a player scores during a 5 vs 5 or more server, a goal is added to their tally, and if a player passes to someone who then scores, an assist is added to their tally. Some people have reached several hundred goals and assists.